Having defended hundreds of motorists accused of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, my colleagues and I believe that anyone who is charged with a traffic infraction, civil offense or criminal action deserves the right to fight those charges in a court of law. Here in the Garden State, drunken driving is one of the more serious traffic-related offenses with which a person may be charged.
Furthermore, as experienced DWI defense attorneys, we believe that there are very few, if any, reasons for a drunken driving defendant to walk into a New Jersey courtroom without proper representation. The law can be complex; when it comes to serious DWI and drug DUI charges, for which there are rather stiff penalties if convicted, retaining a qualified lawyer with years of trial experience is an important consideration.
At the law offices of Jonathan f. Marshall, our legal team is skilled in representing clients who have been charged with any one of a wide range of drunk driving offenses, including breath test refusal, drug DUI and possession charges. As most anyone should know regarding drunk driving and other DUI-related violations, there is no sense in making a bad situation worse by involving others in one’s mistake. Being accused of a drunken driving accident presents one of the more difficult legal situations.
As Monmouth, Bergen and Ocean County DWI-DUI defense attorneys, we know that an alcohol- or drug-related traffic accident can complicate an already serious DWI charge, especially when injuries are involved. Multiple-vehicle accidents can and do result in serious injuries and occasionally fatalities. However, driving while intoxicated and hitting a pedestrian or another motorist can up the ante significantly in the eyes of the local prosecutor.
A couple news stories brought this to mind a short while back. In one instance, a Piscataway resident was involved in an alleged DWI crash after which he reportedly fled the scene; injuries were involved. In another instance, a motorcycle rider struck a pedestrian while reportedly headed to a liquor store; that individual was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol as well.
Based on news reports, the first incident occurred along a stretch of eastbound Rte 22 near the intersection of Mercer St. Police reports indicated that the driver hit the back end of another vehicle forcing the second car into a nearby light pole around 10:30pm on a Friday evening. As a result of the collision, the driver of the second car was knocked unconscious and the passenger received cuts to the face. They were both taken to Somerset Medical Center for treatment.
According to reports, the driver left the scene but was later arrested. He was eventually charged with DWI, vehicular assault and hit-and-run driving.
In the second incident, a 30-year-old motorcyclist from the Jersey City area was charged with striking a pedestrian in the roadway during an early morning traffic accident. According to police, the accident took place in a school zone during the early morning hours on a Saturday in the Hoboken area at the intersection of Arden and Newark streets. The rider was headed southbound along Newark St. allegedly to a liquor store at Willow Ave. and First St. when the pedestrian began to cross the street in front of him.
When police arrived at the scene, the rider told police that he sounded his horn but apparently could not avoid striking the victim, who was shaken up by the collision but otherwise was not injured. Officers stated that they noticed the motorcyclist exhibiting slurred speech as well as the odor of alcohol on his breath. Having reportedly admitted to having had a few drinks prior to the incident, the man was arrested after failing a number of sobriety tests. He was taken into custody and charged with drunken driving in a school zone as well as aggravated assault.
Drunken Driver Left Crash That Injured Two People, Police Say; Patch.com; October 16, 2013
Motorcyclist on way to liquor store charged with DWI after hitting pedestrian, police say; NJ.com; October 1, 2013